WoO 214 (previously Hess 69) Allegretto in C minor for piano
Allegretto
Hess 69 – Allegretto in C minor for piano. The autograph (Beethoven Ms. 82) Unpublished and is in the Paris Conservatory [now BN.] It is a fragment [SV 234] consisting of a 73-bar beginning and a 19-bar finale. Composed around 1797. Perhaps, originally, it had been composed for the Sonata op. 10 n. 1.
Official title: WoO 214 Bagatelle (c-moll) für Klavier Widmung: -NGAVII/6 AGA-SBG IX/11 (Hess 69).
Creation and publication: Composed at the end of 1794 in Vienna. Revised in 1822 in anticipation of a possible publication. The first edition was published posthumously in 1965 as part of the SBG by Breitkopf & Härtel in Wiesbaden. Jos van der Zanden dates the Allegretto WoO 214 to the end of 1794, based on a sketch written in the miscellany “Kafka”. (Zanden/Ingharese p. 115-118). This modifies the 1795/96 dating proposed by Douglas Johnson based on the paper used and the handwriting of the transcription of the work (Johnson/Fischhof, vol. 1, p. 141). Willy Hess, following Max Unger, who also used handwriting as a dating criterion (Unger/Conservatorie page 110), placed the date of creation around 1797. The theme of the Allegretto is reminiscent of a Hungarian melody. Beethoven may have heard it from Count Anton von Apponyi, one of the subscribers of the Piano Trios op.1 in 1795 and ordered a string quartet from Beethoven (Zanden/Ingharese p. 122f). Beethoven’s Hungarian friend Nikolaus Zmeskall could also be a possible source of the theme. Beethoven’s transcription of the Allegretto is incomplete, missing at least one sheet in the center. Johann Zürcher suspected that the last 19 bars written on folio 2recto were not a sketchy ending, but an alternative to the missing part (Zürcher/Beethoveniana). This hypothesis was followed by Willy Hess (SBG IX p. 143), who also hypothesized that Beethoven himself probably removed the middle section to replace it with the measures sketched later. However, this middle section was certainly much longer than the alternative bars.
Hess resolved this discrepancy on the assumption that the Allegretto was originally in five parts and that it was eventually reduced to a tripartite form because of the revision. The fact that the music written on folio 2 remains in sketchy form could lead us to suppose that it was related to Beethoven’s project of a collection of bagatelles to be published in 1822. In his request for compositions from Beethoven dated 18 May 1822, the Leipzig publisher Carl Friedrich Peters mentioned, among other things, “Solosachen für Pianoforte (worunter auch kleinere Werke sein könten)” (BGA 1465). This may have prompted Beethoven to put together a portfolio of about 13 or 14 unpublished piano pieces, which he numbered consecutively (see Op. 119). WoO 214 had numbers 3 and 9 (Cooper/Portfolio p. 211, Cooper/Process p. 265). The revision, in which Beethoven shortened the piece and conceived a new ending, is probably related to Peters’ request (Cooper/Portfolio p. 217). First execution unknown. Drafts: GB-lbl, Add. Ms. 29801 (“Kafka”), folio 141 recto. Facsimile and transcription: Kerman/ Kafka. Jos van der Zanden mentions two other passages in the Miscellanea “Kafka” which are “auffallend ähnlich” or “erinnern” the allegretto WoO 214: folio 140 recto and folio 158 recto (Zanden/Ingharese p. 117 note 16). Transcription of the work in good copy, bars 1-73 and the last 19 bars: F-Pc (in: Pn), Ms 82. The middle sheet (or a double sheet) is missing. Title: Sheet 1 recto title “Allegretto”, on the right margin “N° 3”, on the upper right margin “N° 9”. 2 sheets; 4 pages of musical text. Paper: horizontal format, 22.5 x 32 cm, double-spaced. Provenance: Johann Nepomuk Kafka, Vienna. – Gabriel Charavay, Paris (auction on 14 May 1881, lot 10.8). – Charles Malherbe, Paris. – 1912. -Since 1964 in F-Pn. Facsimile and transcription: Zanden/Ingharese pp. 124-130. Another facsimile: Gallica. First edition in SBG. Bibliography: Cooper/Portfolio. – Zanden/Ingharese. – Zürcher/Beethoveniana.
Comparative Analysis: WoO 214 vs. Op. 10 No. 1
Sources: Beethoven Music Research Center and Wikipedia.
| Feature | Allegretto in C minor, WoO 214 | Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10 No. 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Date of Composition | Circa 1794–1797 | Composed between 1795–1798 |
| Form | Fragmentary; possibly ternary or five-part structure | Classical sonata form in three movements |
| Length | 73 bars + 19-bar ending; incomplete | Full-length sonata (~18 minutes) |
| Purpose | Possibly a discarded movement or sketch for Op. 10 No. 1 | Published as part of a set of three sonatas |
| Stylistic Traits | Hungarian folk influence; lyrical and compact | Dramatic contrasts, thematic development, Mozartian elegance |
| Key Signature | C minor | C minor |
| Manuscript Status | Unpublished autograph; missing central section | Published in 1798 by Eder, Vienna |
| Revision History | Revised in 1822 for potential inclusion in a bagatelle collection | No known major revisions post-publication |
| Thematic Connection | Possibly shares thematic DNA with Op. 10 No. 1 | Fully developed themes with clear sonata structure |
| Notable Features | Numbered “No. 3” and “No. 9” in Beethoven’s 1822 portfolio | Lacks a minuet/scherzo; unusually concise and intense |
| Scholarly Interpretation | Considered a sketch or alternative movement | Seen as a mature work bridging early and middle periods |
- Structural Echoes: WoO 214 may have been an early draft or alternate movement for Op. 10 No. 1, especially given the shared key and expressive character. The Allegretto’s brevity and folk-like theme contrast with the Sonata’s more formal and expansive architecture.
- Stylistic Parallels: Both works exhibit Beethoven’s early experimentation with dramatic tension and thematic contrast. The Sonata’s Allegro molto e con brio opens with abrupt energy, while WoO 214’s Allegretto is more subdued but rhythmically engaging.
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Evolutionary Context: WoO 214 reflects Beethoven’s compositional process—sketching, discarding, and revising. Op. 10 No. 1, by contrast, represents a polished product of that evolution, showcasing Beethoven’s growing command of form and expression.
WoO 214 (Hess 69) is part of the project “Research Becomes Art”
A New Life for the Unknown Works of Ludwig van Beethoven: An Artistic Exploration by pianist maestro Francesco Gussago